Challenges with Student-Centered Learning

Role of the Teacher

Changes to be more collaborative

Give up some control of the direction of the
lesson.

Questioning and Guidance

Ask questions to guide students

Balance guiding students and providing
space for them to figure it out themselves.

Teachers can only take one step at a time
to transition to a fully student-centered
teaching approach.

Teachers must be prepared to support students
no matter which direction the students take the
lesson.

Material costs.

Student mindset must be altered
to empower them to drive
instruction.

Students need to be invested
in their learning.

Students must learn to work
well in groups.

Students need to properly use
the new freedoms productively.

The lesson plan needs to focus
on providing a learning environment
to meet the learning goals rather than
procedures to present informaiton
in a traditional way.

Groups are mandatory in each lesson

Roles must be clearly defined.

Traditional vs. Student Centered Balance

Students are trained to behave
in a traditional teacher-centered
classroom environment. Teachers
need to organize the classroom
set up and interactions to be
conducive to a student-centered
approach.

Students must be organized in groups

Materials must be provided for lessons.

The classroom must accommodate any
direction students take the lesson.